08 February 2006

A recent BBC news item reports on a pilot project in Peru that uses podcasting to get important agricultural information to farmers. Led by Practical Action Latin America (in spanish), telecentres in remote parts of Peru download audio files from the Internet. These are then broadcast to farming communities via local radio stations.

The programme content is tailored to local needs and interests. In Chanta Alta, for instance, the programmes provide information about cattle raising and dairy production, while in Chiliete they concentrate on growing grapes and beans. The language is kept simple, to make the broadcasts more accessible than technical leaflets.

You can listen to the podcasts; more information on the podcasting project is on the Practical Action website.